By Jagran Josh

The most determined of them all, MBA in sports management opens up a whole-new-world of thrilling opportunities. To be honest, all the specializations in Master of Business Administration produces leaders and experts, but specialization in sports management? It only builds champions.

In the era of lights, camera and action, sports has become more than just a game, it’s a showbiz of entertainment with multiple franchise teams lurking for front seat. The sports industry is rendered as one of the largest revenue generators that offers the young aspirants with an array of leisure mingled with occupation. And in the backdrop of the global competitiveness, the sports industry in India is thriving with ceaseless demand for capable managers, leaders and team builders.

Coming back to champions, they are made from a deeper conscious of having an aspiration, a mirage and a vision; who exhibit a spectacular show of determination and true sportsmanship. If you fall in this category, then pursuing MBA in Sports Management could be the righteous dreamboat for you.

As quoted by Will Carling,

This article equips you with broad and up-to-date information pertaining to the various dimensions of MBA in Sports Management course. So, read along and clear all your doubts regarding this programme, which might give you success in sports management. The article will cover the following topics:

An Introduction to Sports Management

Eligibility criteria for pursuing Sports Management course

Rationale for choosing a career in Sports Management

Syllabus taught in Sports Management

Career Options/Opportunities after Sports Management

Pay Packages offered to Sports Management

List of Top/Best Colleges to Sports Management

List of Top Recruiters that hire Sports Management

What is MBA in Sports Management?

MBA in Sports Management is a combination of distinct academic disciplines that develops the quintessential skills of business administration, organization, economics, innovation, marketing and finance among the graduates. This versatile option of higher studies offers a variety in rewarding careers within and outside the sports industry. MBA in sports management emphasizes on business fundamentals and provides real-world experiences of theories and ideas to the students. It will impart a set of operational skills, practical expertise and specialist knowledge pertaining to the business of sports, for enabling the individuals in securing sports management job. Along these lines, the participants are also provided with a path to polish their interpersonal, innovative and leadership capabilities.

Usually the fans of sports are the passionate ones to apply for the two-year traditional course of MBA in sports management, however, one can find enough motivation through the simple act of enjoying the business of sports and marketing.

Why MBA in Sports Management?

Sports have been the essence of prime entertainment, where the industry has rapidly grown worldwide. It extends from the management and commencement of diverse sports to the collaboration of business related with tourism, construction and infrastructure, equipment manufacturing, hospitality, marketing and merchandising. The likely worth of global sports industry is around 480-620 billion USD.

India however, is an emerging economy, which is targeting at building a dynamic sports culture apart from the craze of cricket. The size of the Indian sports industry is therefore,

not recognized and yet to be acknowledged as a full-fledged sector. Though, estimations have been made by GroupM and SportzPower India (investment organization), according to which the sports industry as shown an increment of 10% in 2015 with a worth of 48069 million rupees.

At the global level sports events, such as the Olympics, the country lags far behind the others and requires a push towards more efforts.

Source: KPMG analysis, 2014

Figure: Comparison of the performance of nations in terms of medals in Olympics

To raise the bar, the corporate and government bodies are taking initiatives to accelerate and promote the success in this industry. Through the development of overall sports ecosystem with depreciation of impending issues such as low resource availability, infrastructure, academics and franchises, the government visions the sports industry of India to grow beyond cricket leagues and sponsorships. For the same, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) proposed the objectives of India’s 75 vision for sports, as projected in the below figure:

Source: CII, 2014

Figure: Sports vision of India

The efforts of Indian government in augmenting the awareness of sports among people has been evident in the organization of the international events such as:

Ko,Indian Premier League (IPL)

Launching other leagues in sports such as hockey, football and golf

Hosting international events such as Commonwealth Games in 2011, Cricket World Cup in 2011 and the World Chess Championship.

The performance of India in the Commonwealth Games, over time, has shown an increment in terms of medals earned. Since it first participated in 1990, the progression of performance is noteworthy, till the last Games held in 2010.

Source: KPMG, 2014

Figure: India’s posting in Commonwealth games since 1990

Apart from the international-level growth, at the national level, the sports industry in India has shown high engagement. At the National Games held in 2011, several states participated at different sports. Manipur was the leading state in terms of the medals earned, closely followed by Haryana and Maharashtra.

Source: KPMG, 2014

Figure: Medals won by top 15 states in India at the National Games

The National Games in 2015 incorporated the sport of Yachting as a new event. Also, Kerala with 54 medals was the topper, followed by Haryana with 40 medals. The participation in terms of sportsmanship has shown an increase in the recent years, where credibility goes to the associated business of retail, manufacturing, tourism, hospitality and marketing.

The youth of India is the ray of light that brightens the growth of this sector and the sports industry in turn, holds a high position for young intellectual graduates. Therefore, one should choose MBA in Sports Management due to the promising career it offers within and outside this industry

Eligibility Criteria for MBA in Sports Management

This specialized field is concerned with imparting education and vocation pertaining to the business aspect of sports. And a professional job in the field of sports management can be acquired with the intellect developed through the professional studies taught at MBA in sports management. And for that, you need to enrol in the program with following eligibility requirements:

Minimum 50% of marks in 10th and 12th

A bachelor’s degree in the relevant field with a minimum of 50% aggregate marks

Clearance of entrance examinations such as CAT/MAT/GMAT/IIFT/SNAP/JMET, followed by personal interviews and group discussions

Skills required for MBA in Sports Management

Those willing to pursue this path of career must be self-equipped with certain competencies, such as:

Oral communication and report-writing skills

Data analysis and research skills

Presentation skills

Professionalism and customer focus

Time-management skills

Negotiation skills

Collaborative attitude

Problem-solving and decision-making skills

MBA in Sports Management Syllabus

Different universities and colleges have their own standard and means of teaching and imparting the vocational education among the students. Subjects or syllabus however, can be the same. Following are the few of these subjects:

Subjects for MBA in Sports Management

Organization and management in sports

Foundations of amateur and professional sports

Psychology of sports

Contemporary issues in sports

Public speaking

Ethics in sports

Sports training and conditioning

Leadership principles in sports

Sponsorship and broadcasting

Managing sports events

Advertising and public relations in sports

Sports marketing

Sports medicine and nutrition

Funding in sports

Sports law and risk management

Sports media and event management

MBA in Sports Management: Career Option

As mentioned before, MBA in sports management not only offers promising careers in the field of sports itself, but also opens up the doors in multivariate fields such as marketing, retailing, manufacturing, customer social responsibility etc. One can go in the field of teaching in schools and higher institutes, which is one the most reputed jobs in the gamut of opportunities. The young graduates can also go for a job in:

Sports clubs

Sporting agencies

NGOs

National sporting associations

Fitness clubs

Recreation facilities

Government and private sports authorities

Various Job Profiles offered in this sectors are:

Sports manager

Management trainee

Sales manager- sports/media/advertising

Sports agent

Sports instructor

Sports physiologist

Sports nutritionist

Architect and project manager

Manager in merchandising

Athletic director

Pay Packages for MBA in Sports Management

The remuneration offered in the jobs persisting in Sport Management area are dependent on personal attributes, which are catalysed by the post-graduation in MBA Sports Management. The starting salary ranges from Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 20,000, which extends with industrial experience.

Work Experience

Average Salary (tentative)

Less than 1 year

Rs. 96,000

1-4 years

Rs. 320,000

5-9 years

Rs. 696,343

More than 10 years

Rs. 828,000

Source: Payscale.com

Top colleges for MBA in Sports Management

The following are the list of Top Business Schools in India offering specialization in MBA in Sports Management

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